SKUKUZA – The Kruger National Park (KNP) intends to be more transparent about its culling and meat-gifting practices in the future.

“I feel today has paved the way for more open dialogue,” said Phillips.

Park management met with the public during a stakeholder consultative meeting on Saturday. They included environmental activists, principals from the schools that received the benefits, community representatives and concerned citizens.

LISTEN to some stakeholders attending the meeting

Mr Freek Venter, general manager of the KNP’s conservation services, said they will continue to provide meat gifts from wild animals culled in the park and processed in the park’s abattoir to communities surrounding it.

He said only half of the 400 buffaloes and 200 hippos approved to be culled due to the drought by SANParks’ Wildlife Management Committee have been shot.

READ more about the original debate that sparked the meeting

AND then the debate raged on

Mr Glenn Phillips, managing executive of the KNP, said the meat was processed by the recently refurbished and upgraded KNP abattoir.

TB is rife among the 47 000 buffaloes in the park, but the manager of the abattoir, Ms Danny Govender, gave Richard Prinsloo of African Wild the assurance that the gifted meat complied to all necessary hygiene and health standards.

Stakeholder, Ms Lorinda Steenkamp, said it was not sustainable and that KNP should rather offer tangible benefits such as educational programmes.

Dr Sam Ferreira, large-mammal ecologist of the KNP, explained that norms and standards for elephant management are also under review. One of the recommendations is for SANParks to apply to the minister of environmental affairs for elephants to be culled.

Phillips undertook to soon make dates available for stakeholders to register to contribute to compile a ten-year KNP management plan.